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What should I take to Africa?
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Feb 14, 2019 07:13:38   #
AFPhoto Loc: Jamestown, RI, USA
 
Next week I will be leaving on a three week trip to Southern Africa (Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and South Africa). This will be a safari and the problem I have is that I am restricted to a total weight of 44 pounds that includes my soft duffle - checked luggage- and my carry on camera equipment. Travel in Africa will be mainly on small (4-10 passenger) planes. I need to take a CPAP machine (very small with a Lithium battery). My camera is the OLY EM1 mkII. And the lens that I bought especially for this trip is the OLY 300mm F4 IS Pro. I chose that lens because the IS works in conjunction with the camera IBIS to produce some incredible results hand held in low light situations. My concern is that I don’t have a zoom so I will need to bring another lens for near in situations. My choices are the very high quality 12 - 40 MM F2.8 Pro or the 75 - 300 mm F4.5 to 5.6. I probably will take a 17MM F1.7. Later today I will pack everything and weigh it all.

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Feb 14, 2019 07:46:13   #
jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY
 
So you're going on a safari. Some ideas -

http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-473761-1.html
https://fstoppers.com/animal/essential-camera-features-and-settings-safari-photography-176678
http://www.dpreview.com/articles/8065882473/gearing-up-for-an-african-safari
http://www.bythom.com/photographic-travel/africa/how-to-think-about-equipmen.html
http://www.elliottneep.com/#!/p/gear-guide-safari
https://luminous-landscape.com/digital-safari-equipment-tips/

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Feb 14, 2019 08:01:22   #
camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.
 
In your post you are already mentioning what you will take with you to Africa. Your 300mm f4 is indispensable and your 12-40 f2.8 will cover the rest and it will be good in low light although you will be shooting mostly during daytime hours in sunlight.
If you take the 17mm f1.8 with the 300mm as your only lens you are going to be limited. My first choice would be the zoom which is more versatile.
Leave the 75-300 home.

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Feb 14, 2019 08:10:28   #
Rhl0630
 
A friend mentioned that the animals were usually closer than he expected. Take the 12.100 and leica 100,400 if you have access to them. My leica is very close in quality to my 300. He had canon 100.400 and crop body. He missed a few good shots because animals were to close. If I had the long lens on the camera I would carry a small camera like sony 100 series also. Doesn't weigh much and very handy.

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Feb 14, 2019 08:12:15   #
larryhav Loc: Charlotte, NC
 
I was just in Namibia and South Africa (Mala Mala) this past September and am familiar with the weight restrictions. I have much heavier equipment than you so I cut back on clothing. However, you might be taking too many lenses. You will find yourself closer than you think to the larger animals so often the 24-70 will be sufficient especially with a 4/3 camera. However, if you are a birder, the 300 will definitely be needed. The 17mm probably only be used a few times for landscape and the falls if you are going there to get the wide angle shots. I would suggest a second body as a backup or to be able to change from closeup to long range quickly. You don't want to be changing lenses in all the vehicle with all the dust. I found that we would see an animal far away and start using my long lens but then the guide would drive closer to it so it would be near the vehicle. I simply picked up my other body with the wider lens to get those shots. I found myself using my 100-400 on a full frame body about 75% of the time and the 24-104mm lens the rest of the time. Africa is a great place to shoot wildlife. You will have an amazing time.

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Feb 14, 2019 08:13:04   #
mizzee Loc: Boston,Ma
 
Get a 14-150 II Oly lens. You’ll get wide and long and it’s dust, rain proof just like your camera AND it weighs very little. I have the e-m5 II and it’s my walk around lens. Make sure you get the II version, the earlier lens is not good. My friend took the same trip and she took the 75-300 and the 14-150 II. Her photos were great.

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Feb 14, 2019 08:28:35   #
Fotomacher Loc: Toronto
 
When my wife and I went to SA and Zimbabwe and Botswana, we travelled on 4 seater aircraft with similar weight restrictions. I took my D810 and 6 lenses from a 16mm fisheye to a 300mm f/4. 3 f/2.8 zoom lenses and a teleconvertor. I bought a good photo vest and crammed it with memory cards, batteries, filters and the smaller lenses. Only the big lenses were in my camera bag when we boarded the planes. And the camera body was on a strap over my shoulder. They do not weigh people. Worked like a charm!!

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Feb 14, 2019 12:44:22   #
rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA
 
If you plan to enjoy the Safari, then keep your photo equipment as light, compact and simple as possible. And don't spend the entire trip gazing through the viewfinder or looking down at the camera's screen, as some tourists do. Live the experience, don't merely record it!

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Feb 14, 2019 18:17:24   #
Properframe Loc: US Virginia
 
Fotomacher wrote:
When my wife ......They do not weigh people. Worked like a charm!!


Went to SA last July. Took 2 bodies, tripod, gimbal, 18, 24-70, 70-200, 200-400. Used them in that order least to most also. Was worried sick about all the weight restrictions. Spent A LOT of time configuring things and knowing weights.....and in the end NOT A SINGLE PLANE WEIGHED A SINGLE THING.
But if your wife is traveling with you then give her all the clothes and just take 20 Kgs of gear. Frankly unless you're hitting Londolozi with the Kardashians you can get by with 2 outfits. They do the laundry daily at the camps.
I have to admit we went to shoot and the safari was how it happened. I do recommend one extra expense, if not this trip then the next, if you are serious about shooting. Hire the vehicle and ranger for just yourselves. And request the best/senior ranger. The rangers are competitive and we were on every thing that occurred. It became a running commentary among the other guests. You will have to make it worth their time as these pros work hard. They get almost no time to themselves and if you lean on them and run them non stop all week they will appreciate your intensity because they love the bush more than you do, BUT they will really appreciate the end of the stay being tipped as if they had 6 people in the vehicle instead of 2.

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Feb 15, 2019 06:09:46   #
sb Loc: Florida's East Coast
 
Remember that sometimes (often) it is too dusty to change lenses. When I went I was amazed at how close we got to some of the animals - so I think keeping a 300mm lens on will hamstring you in a lot of situations. I would use the zoom that will still get you to 300mm. I used a 100-400 and was glad to have the option of focal length. Our guide - who lives there, kept his 400mm prime on all the time, so keeping a 300mm on your camera won't be bad...

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Feb 15, 2019 06:23:57   #
Opsafari Loc: Roodepoort South Africa
 
I live and travel extensively in Southern Africa’s wilderness and arid regions, mainly with guests or solo. This is a late reply as you are about to start your trip. I do use two bodies, 1 with a wide to medium zoom and 1 with 100 – 400 zoom and extra 150-500mm which I hardly ever use but when I travel solo sometimes its handy. A short zoom for around camps and landscapes. A camera vest or fly-fishing vest is very handy, pack my extra lenses in a zip lock back to keep dust out. In my camera bag there are also my bat chargers, Polaroid filters and cleaning equipment.

On safari vehicles you will not be able to use a tripod unless you have the budget to hire the vehicle for yourself and that is expensive! Leave the tripod at home and if you need to some sort of steady support, bring a steady hiking stick, yes it does not have a camera shoe but you can use it to support your camera! I do it a lot and use the walking stick when walking as well. Open vehicles are your biggest problem or any type of game drive vehicle: dust dust dust! Bring along big and strong plastic zip lock bags and put your camera in it when not shooting. Bring an empty bean bag, fill it up with rice or beans when you arrive and it is very handy to support the camera as well.

You mentioned Zimbabwe so it might include Victoria Falls and there the zip lock bags will be very handy and as well as an absorbing cloth to dry your lens, there are a lot of spray!! Best time to shoot the falls are from 12:00 - 15:00 as then you will see many rainbows! You can hire a raincoat at the entrance for about $3-4 but do hire it!!

I make my laptop available for clients to transfer their daily shoots to their portable drives so that they don’t have to bring their own laptops. My groups are fairly small and easy to manage transfers. Otherwise bring a number of memory cards with and back at the camps when you are about to hit the bed delete unwanted images, not in front of other guests or while driving on safari vehicles as that is rude and you miss the environment!

Only in private nature reserves are guides allowed to go off road to get closer to animals but many now started to stop this as it is very dangerous! In National parks guides are not allowed to go off any roads or tracks, if caught they get a heavy fine or can lose their license to guide! Game parks are a zoo where humans are in moving cages while wildlife roams freely and unpredictable! Enjoy your Safari!

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Feb 15, 2019 06:45:06   #
DAN Phillips Loc: Graysville, GA
 
Opsafari, I really enjoyed your narration. Since I was a child I dreamed of going to Africa, but never made it; life happens. May God Bless!

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Feb 15, 2019 06:56:32   #
AFPhoto Loc: Jamestown, RI, USA
 
Thanks all for the great advice. Based on what I read here I will be taking two bodies - an EM1 mk1 and an EM1 mk2, lots of zip lock bags and a vest with very large pockets. II am determined not to spend too much time looking through the view finder but to enjoy the surroundings and shoot only when opportunity presents itself for a great shot. Typically, on a trip like this I take a couple of thousand shots - way too many. I hope to be much more discriminating this time.

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Feb 15, 2019 07:11:06   #
NormanTheGr8 Loc: Racine, Wisconsin
 
If this is a regular photo safari might they have rental equipment on location that you could take advantage of ?

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Feb 15, 2019 08:48:55   #
boberic Loc: Quiet Corner, Connecticut. Ex long Islander
 
AFPhoto wrote:
Next week I will be leaving on a three week trip to Southern Africa (Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and South Africa). This will be a safari and the problem I have is that I am restricted to a total weight of 44 pounds that includes my soft duffle - checked luggage- and my carry on camera equipment. Travel in Africa will be mainly on small (4-10 passenger) planes. I need to take a CPAP machine (very small with a Lithium battery). My camera is the OLY EM1 mkII. And the lens that I bought especially for this trip is the OLY 300mm F4 IS Pro. I chose that lens because the IS works in conjunction with the camera IBIS to produce some incredible results hand held in low light situations. My concern is that I don’t have a zoom so I will need to bring another lens for near in situations. My choices are the very high quality 12 - 40 MM F2.8 Pro or the 75 - 300 mm F4.5 to 5.6. I probably will take a 17MM F1.7. Later today I will pack everything and weigh it all.
Next week I will be leaving on a three week trip t... (show quote)


Answer--Me

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